The present invention relates, in general, to an interpretive language architecture for controlling the attributes of a physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process. In particular, the present invention relates to a system that provides attribute control for devices used in the control of the physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing data received from an external source and transforming that data into user independent commands to control the physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream.
In general, the transfer of energy to a physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream is determined by the work performed on that process. For example, the present day microwave oven transfers energy to a specimen contained within the confines of the microwave oven by bombarding the specimen with electromagnetic waves which cause molecules in the specimen to vibrate billions of times per second. The heat is created when dipolar molecules (such as water) vibrate back and forth aligning themselves with the electric field or when the ions migrate in response to the electric field. The vibrations cause heat by friction at a depth of about 1 to 1.5 inches. Heat transfer properties of the specimen continue the process of thermal transfer by transmitting heat to areas of the specimen that are relatively cool in comparison to the areas that have been heated by the electromagnetic waves. The measure of work performed on the specimen is determined by power received by the specimen multiplied by time (W=P*T).
Mechanisms that provide the microwave oven data to ascertain the estimated power and time are well known in the art. Examples of such mechanisms are delineated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,812,393 and 5,883,801. Once the data is received by the microwave oven, the data is transformed into commands that are discernible by a controller disposed within the microwave oven. Generally, the controller is a computer or microprocessor based system. The computer or microprocessor has stored within its memories at least one program to facilitate the operation of the microwave oven.
Generally, the structure or architecture of these programs is linear i.e., the data received by input mechanisms is directed to the appropriate program for processing. The program calculates the appropriate power and time settings understandable by the host microwave oven. Once these calculations are computed, the host microwave oven begins the energy transfer process independent of the residing program. There is no architecture or overlaying software to guide the interaction between the various resident programs to determine the required work to be performed on the specimen.
Prior to the present invention attempts to implement a more structured approach to the control of the microwave oven have relied on break points or stopping points within the programs that require user intervention to continue the energy transfer process. This means of controlling the microwave oven is tantamount to having a plurality of individual programs connected together by the stopping and starting of the resident program. Others have tried to implement a series of look up tables stored in the memory of the computer in an attempt to match up data received from the input mechanism to the stored tables. This approach limits the flexibility of the energy transfer to the specimen to the size of the memory of the computer.
It would be desirable to have a system architecture for the transfer of energy to a physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream that is seamless and does not rely on preconceived recorded data stored in the memory of the computer to implement the work performed on that process. The architecture would encapsulate a BIOS machine and Work Manager for providing the mechanisms for controlling the physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream for heating an object or objects, i.e., specimen or food, within a microwave oven. The BIOS machine would control the course and sequence of events for receiving the incoming data and transmitting the transformed data to the host physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream. The Work Manager in concert with the BIOS machine would control the work performed on the specimen disposed within the confines of the microwave oven and manage the thermal aberrations of the microwave oven.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention is an interpretive system architecture for the transfer of energy to a physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream, or microwave oven that is seamless and does not rely on preconceived data stored in the memory of a computer to implement the work performed on that process. The architecture encapsulates a BIOS machine and Work Manager (as delineated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,812,393 and 5,883,801, which are commonly assigned to the assignee of the present invention) to provide the mechanisms for controlling the physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream to heat an object or objects, i.e., specimen or food within the confines of the microwave oven.
Microwave ovens presently in use employ various data entry mechanisms to input data into the oven control mechanism. These data entry mechanisms may be electrical and mechanical keyboards, card readers, light pens, wands, radio frequency detectors, or the like. The data is transmitted to a controller with a memory. The implementation of the data results in the specimen receiving energy to heat the specimen to some desired temperature.
The present invention overlays the operational functions of the microwave oven to interpret, control, and implement the desired contents of the data received from the data entry mechanism. The interpretive system architecture or operating system may, if desired, be stored in the memory of the controller. The operating system has at least one interpretive base class for providing operational instance to the host microwave oven. The operating system receives the externally derived predetermined data or code, interprets the code, and transforms the code into user independent functional commands for the host microwave oven or process stream.
The interpretive base class may, if desired, be a BIOS machine base class. The BIOS machine base class has at least one object that provides functional control for the operating system. One such object is a BIOS machine-receiving object. The BIOS machine-receiving object is in communication with the data entry mechanism and provides the data structure to interpret the externally derived predetermined input code into a datum process stream with specific operating instructions. The BIOS machine-receiving object transmits the interpreted process stream operating instruction set to a BIOS machine datum object. The datum object scales the datum process stream into the host oven or process BIOS machine stream operating instruction set. The scaled process stream of operating instructions is then transmitted to a BIOS machine output object. The BIOS machine output object may, if desired, be in communication with the host microwave oven to deliver the operational instructions.
Another base class that may, if desired, be implemented within the operating system is the work manager class. The operating system now has two base classes that interpret, control, and implement the desired externally derived data. The BIOS machine output object may now transmit its operational instructions to a work manager-receiving object. The work manager receiving object receives the host microwave oven or process stream specific operating instructions and transforms these instructions into data structures that control at least one of the desired functions of the work manager. The work manager-receiving object receives instructions for performing work on the specimen disposed in the confines of the microwave oven. The work manager-receiving object may, if desired, contain data on operational power supplied to the microwave oven that has been interpreted by the BIOS machine. The BIOS machine periodically transmits the power data received from a power sensor for processing (as delineated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,801).
A work-processing object is in interactive communication with the work manager-receiving object. The work-processing object transforms data received from the BIOS machine into command functions that represent work expended on the specimen or the work to be expended on the specimen disposed within the confines of the microwave oven (as delineated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,801).
A work manager-output object is in interactive communication with the work-processing object. The work manager-output object collects the data from the aforementioned objects and transmits it to the host microwave oven via an emulator module (as delineated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,801).
In general, an externally derived predetermined code is data derived from instructions that offer static conditions of the specimen to receive work. These static conditions vary widely and differ on characteristics of the material to receive work. The material inherently varies in dielectric property, relative dielectric constant, geometry, and loss factor. These properties govern both the work function and uniformity of work expended from specimen to like specimen.
The second embodiment of the present invention provides a communication medium that allows data derived from static instructions to be interpreted and processed by the present invention. The second embodiment of the present invention, is an apparatus or mechanism for delineating the characteristics of an indicia disposed on the surface of the specimen or associated thereto. The indicia are expressive of the externally derived predetermined code that is compiled to represent desired data. The desired data may be suggestive of power, time, or other characteristics of the specimen disposed within the confines of the microwave oven. The indicia contain at least one symbol that communicates at least one characteristic of the specimen. The symbols may, if desired, be numbers, lines, geometric shapes, electrically conductive characters, electrically non-conductive characters, or other characters. The symbols may be arranged in any predetermined format i.e., in-line, spaced apart, or other determinable patterns. The indicia communicate the externally derived predetermined code to the BIOS machine via the data entry mechanism.
When taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended Claims, other features and advantages of the present invention become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention.